A new statue of Jesus Christ, bigger than Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ the Redeemer, has been completed in Brazil. According to Newsweek, work on ‘Christ the Protector' was completed in the small town of Encantado in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul on April 22. The new statue is 43 metres (141 feet) high compared to Rio's statue, which is 38 metres (125 feet).
"It is the largest Christ in the world," Robison Gonzatti, vice president of the association that sponsored the statue, told Reuters.
The new statue was sculpted by artist Markus Moura from Brazil's Ceara State. Work on the statue began in 2019 and has been funded by local businesses in the region. It is built with concrete over a metal structure and has been erected on a hill above the town.
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After completing the statue, Mr Moura said, “I got very emotional. It's a feeling I can't quite explain,” as quoted by Newsweek.
The statue has an observation point for visitors who can look out through a large heart-shaped window. But the venue will only be open to the public sometime next year as the statue is part of one of several stages in building a tourist complex, which is still under construction.
As per the report, the visitation currently includes access to the construction complex, with the accompaniment of local conductors, where it is possible to observe the artwork already completed. According to site managers, more than 50,000 people, including tourists from 21 different countries, have already visited the monument.
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‘Christ the Protector' will be the main attraction of the complex. The park around the statue is reportedly being built without public money with the help of donations from the local community from all over Brazil and abroad. Newsweek reported that the final park will have shops, restaurants, viewpoints and a central area to better welcome visitors. It is to mention that the idea of the statute was of local mayor Adroaldo Conzatti who died of COVID-19 in March 2021.
